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The Houston Astros shelled out $60 million this offseason for the idea that Christian Walker would be the team's Opening Day first baseman. Thankfully, it appears that all that money will not be wasted, as Astros manager Joe Espada is signaling that Walker is on track to be ready for Houston's first game of the 2025 season against the New York Mets.
When asked about the status of the Astros' biggest free agent acquisition, Espada said, “I’m optimistic he should be fine for Opening Day.” That should bring some much needed relief to the Houston faithful who've been blindsided by numerous injuries, trades, and position changes this offseason.
Astros fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief after Christian Walker's injury update
The Astros first baseman suffered a oblique injury earlier in camp. Astros fans flipped out at first, and with good reason. Not only does Walker have a troubling history with oblique injuries, but the Astros depth behind Walker was questionable at best.
If Walker's not full-go on Opening Day, the Astros may be forced to decide between Zach Dezenzo or Jon Singleton at first base. Dezenzo has been terrific this spring, but that's a lot of pressure to be thrust onto the shoulders of a rookie. As for Singleton, his spring has been anything but terrific. If Walker truly is ready to go to start the 2025 season, the left-handed slugger may find himself looking for a new team ahead of Opening Day.
The plan is for Christian Walker to get into games this weekend, Joe Espada said.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 16, 2025
“I’m optimistic he should be fine for Opening Day,” Espada said.
Houston has endured enough uncertainty this spring. The Astros already bid farewell to a trio of top performers (Ryan Pressly, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Bregman), are trying to transform Jose Altuve into an outfielder, and hoping that the duo of Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick somehow rebound to help offset Houston's losses. The last thing they needed was to see their cleanup hitter begin the year on the IL.
According to Espada, the plan is to get Walker back into games this weekend before the team leaves West Palm Beach bound for Houston. If Walker shows no ill-effects from the oblique injury, then it's a safe bet that he'll be hitting right behind Yordan Alvarez on March 27th at Daikin Park. Houston is expecting big things from Walker this season, and this latest injury update offers Astros fans hope with just over a week until Opening Day.